Event Details

In his paper, Prof. Eugenio Biagini looks at the relationship between popular sovereignty and sectarianism in Europe, with special reference to the Irish case.

A non-deferential and indeed a rebellious society in a sectarian religious environment, the Emerald Isle was the ultimate test ground for those who wished to reconcile democracy with minority rights. The Third Home Rule Bill, passed but not enacted in 1912-14, had tried to enshrine a series of guarantees for the Unionist and predominantly Protestant minority in both Ulster and the South. However, the regions where the Protestants represented a local majority refused to countenance a Dublin-based, Catholic nation-state, effectively claiming that they had a right to self-determination too.

Ireland was 'typical' of the situation in Europe, where from 1875 multi-ethnic states reeled under the impact of democratic nationalism. The latter rejected the traditional politics of deference and the marginality of peripheral social, economic and ethnic groups and cultivated the revival of subaltern languages to assert their cultural autonomy, claiming sovereignty on behalf of the people. In this context, popular violence played an important political role because it involved the claiming of sovereignty by 'the people', through self-selected groups who claimed to speak on their behalf. In the religious sphere this went together with the revival of sectarianism, which, Biagini argues, must be distinguished from religion as much as popular sovereignty must be distinguished from parliamentary sovereignty.

Speaker

Professor Eugenio Biagini teaches Modern and Contemporary History at the University of Cambridge. He has written on Gladstonian liberalism, the Italian Risorgimento and anti-fascism in the 1940s. His current research interests include various aspects of Irish and British history since the 1910s, with particular reference to democracy, civil rights and religious minorities.

Aga Khan University Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations
210 Euston Road
Room 2.3
NW1 2DA London
United Kingdom

Wednesday, 18 November 2015 from 17:30 to 19:00 (GMT)

Organiser

Aga Khan University Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations

AKU-ISMC provides a multifaceted approach to the study of Muslim civilisations - within a framework of world cultures and through the humanities and social sciences - allowing for a wider analytical and comparative perspective. This approach is reflected in a post-graduate master's programme, professional programmes and through quality research and publications. It is reinforced by a unique bibliographical project, the Muslim Civilisations Abstracts.